Sales manager - portrait from the future
- Transfer
Good afternoon, I
quote the translation of an article written on the basis of an interview with several CEOs of large companies from an open source.
I think it will be of interest to everyone who sells IT software outsourcing services to customers around the world.
I bring the text without comments in full and invite all IT sales to speak out about which sales methods and behaviors were most successful in their current practice.
__________________________________________________________________
(Written by Jeffrey James)
Recently, I asked several CEOs and professional sales managers to name the characteristics that the sales managers of the future would need so that they could succeed in the business they were doing.
Their answers give me the opportunity to assume that the previously existing Sales Manager stereotype is hopelessly out of date.
Here is a list of the best answers that I received:
Sales manager of the future - should have the following qualities:
* ... It should be more of an introvert than an extrovert.
It is traditionally believed that most people involved in sales are of the type of “interesting extrovert”, but today, “introverts of interest” are often better at their tasks,
because they are usually interested in what interests their consumer (client) and more often allow the consumer to dominate the conversation, unlike from extroverts who are constantly trying to prove to everyone during the conversation how interesting they are.
* ... He should be ready to cooperate rather than communicate.
With the development of the Internet, the consumer (and sales representative) can usually find out a huge amount of information about some other company or company. As a result, the sales process becomes a process of accumulating details (information about the consumer) and moving to a deeper understanding of his needs. Thus, instead of providing information, the seller - the seller of services - is involved in the ongoing process of acquiring new knowledge about the consumer, and the buyer, product or service.
* ... He should be a negotiator rather than a person who is engaged in persuasion.
Traditionally, selling sales have always been seen as a way of changing consumer preferences as to what and how he (or she) would like to buy. Over the past 20 years, however, this belief has undergone enormous changes, so sales are now seen more as a professional negotiating ability that helps people reach an agreement.
* ... Sales should be an expert rather than a broad-based person.
Because sales are becoming more and more specialized and professional, it’s easier for someone to teach the sales process than knowledge regarding a deep understanding of the business.
For example, companies that market process control systems for refineries are now looking for professionals who used to be managers in refineries, and companies that sell ER - management software are looking for ER nurses (who could describe the processes).
* ... Sales should be more of a professional, not a novice.
Business schools have become more serious about sales training.
Even universities add sales classes to their curriculum, even though sales had always been considered an insufficiently serious issue, not worthy of methodical study. The profession of sales acquired status, both in business and in academic circles, when it became clear that the work of sales became more difficult than ever before.
Question to the readers: what do you think about this?
quote the translation of an article written on the basis of an interview with several CEOs of large companies from an open source.
I think it will be of interest to everyone who sells IT software outsourcing services to customers around the world.
I bring the text without comments in full and invite all IT sales to speak out about which sales methods and behaviors were most successful in their current practice.
__________________________________________________________________
(Written by Jeffrey James)
Recently, I asked several CEOs and professional sales managers to name the characteristics that the sales managers of the future would need so that they could succeed in the business they were doing.
Their answers give me the opportunity to assume that the previously existing Sales Manager stereotype is hopelessly out of date.
Here is a list of the best answers that I received:
Sales manager of the future - should have the following qualities:
* ... It should be more of an introvert than an extrovert.
It is traditionally believed that most people involved in sales are of the type of “interesting extrovert”, but today, “introverts of interest” are often better at their tasks,
because they are usually interested in what interests their consumer (client) and more often allow the consumer to dominate the conversation, unlike from extroverts who are constantly trying to prove to everyone during the conversation how interesting they are.
* ... He should be ready to cooperate rather than communicate.
With the development of the Internet, the consumer (and sales representative) can usually find out a huge amount of information about some other company or company. As a result, the sales process becomes a process of accumulating details (information about the consumer) and moving to a deeper understanding of his needs. Thus, instead of providing information, the seller - the seller of services - is involved in the ongoing process of acquiring new knowledge about the consumer, and the buyer, product or service.
* ... He should be a negotiator rather than a person who is engaged in persuasion.
Traditionally, selling sales have always been seen as a way of changing consumer preferences as to what and how he (or she) would like to buy. Over the past 20 years, however, this belief has undergone enormous changes, so sales are now seen more as a professional negotiating ability that helps people reach an agreement.
* ... Sales should be an expert rather than a broad-based person.
Because sales are becoming more and more specialized and professional, it’s easier for someone to teach the sales process than knowledge regarding a deep understanding of the business.
For example, companies that market process control systems for refineries are now looking for professionals who used to be managers in refineries, and companies that sell ER - management software are looking for ER nurses (who could describe the processes).
* ... Sales should be more of a professional, not a novice.
Business schools have become more serious about sales training.
Even universities add sales classes to their curriculum, even though sales had always been considered an insufficiently serious issue, not worthy of methodical study. The profession of sales acquired status, both in business and in academic circles, when it became clear that the work of sales became more difficult than ever before.
Question to the readers: what do you think about this?